ANKARA --- U.S. President Donald Trump has promised Turkey that he would take necessary steps regarding F-35 fighter jets, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

Speaking at a televised interview on June 29, Çavuşoğlu said there were no problems with the procurement of F-35 warplanes from the United States so far, and he did not think there would be any problems in the future.

Çavuşoğlu said Turkey had conveyed discomfort about the issue to Trump, who said necessary steps would be taken.

A working group between Turkey and the U.S. will convene in Ankara on July 13 and another working group will meet later to discuss the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), he said. (end of excerpt)

US senators are turning up the pressure over the F-35 fighter jet sale to Turkey, with new restriction proposals that could possibly make the delivery of the stealth warplanes more difficult.

The political steps aimed at delaying Turkey’s acquisition of prepaid stealth warplanes have gained ground when senators sought to block Turkey from receiving the stealth warplanes, citing a deterioration of the US-Turkish relations.

Those concerns were intensified following Turkey’s response to a July 2016 coup inside the country as well as over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft system.

Senators from both parties introduced a new amendment that would ban the Pentagon from using funds to transfer the jets to Turkey until Washington confirms that the Russian S-400 won’t be installed in that country.

But the Pentagon could have concerns that are more practical than political.

According to US experts, the S-400 could potentially gather technical data on F-35 capabilities that could end up in Moscow’s hands, either intentionally or unintentionally through a back door in the Russian designed system. (end of excerpt)